People may not think or relate to creating an opportunity through a blog comment. If you are in the New Media sector you know this is part of your arsenal in creating a growing brand. But what does this have to do with your job search and how can it help?

Through Kevin Donlin’s Blog, on his website, The simple job search. I wound up meeting him in Detroit, getting interviewed for a podcast about how I got my New Media internship with LLS and then he referred me to a reporter at the Christian Science Monitor. Though she did not use my interview in her newspaper. It was a chance I would not have had, had I not commented in the first place.

Through his website, he noted another person named A. Harrison Barnes. He is a great writer and has really useful stuff. But his blogs are way too long and if it were up to me, and I had a chance to really talk to him about it, I would really shorten them. They average about 1000 or more words and by the end you probably have to take a break or two. They are just way too long. But I digress. I connected to him on Facebook because I had been the only one commenting.

This led to a possible job opportunity. He liked my blog and things but things just weren’t going to work out between us. As much as I liked the opportunity it just wasn’t a great fit.

The moral of the story is in a down economy there are different ways to find a job. Plus, you need to know your worth, don’t sound desperate and to not take the first opportunity which comes around. You could wind up working in a place which you hate and you could be miserable. When you stick to your passion and you find a way to combine it to make an income. Then you probably won’t ever want to leave work.

Kevin Donlin is creator of TheSimpleJobSearch.com. Since 1996, he has provided job-search help to more than 11,000 people. Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, CBS Radio and others. His free report, The Simple Job Search Manifesto, is found at www.TheSimpleJobSearch.com.

Despite the down economy, there are plenty of jobs and internships to be had for anyone willing to work smartly and diligently to meet more hiring authorities.

You can do it the old-fashioned way – networking in person and by phone – or using new social media, like Facebook.

Here are two recent success stories from job seekers who did both, with lessons you can use today …

1) Work the Phone and the Room

“I started my job search in late August 2008 and had a new job on October 13. In addition, I had two other offers and each was $25,000 more than my previous position. I eventually ended up with a $40,000 pay raise. I count my lucky stars every day,” says Christopher Kelly, who now works at Burlington, Mass.-based nSight.

How did Kelly do it? Two ways …

First, he picked up the phone. “I called my top-tier employers before sending any resume. In fact, every interview I received was the result of a proactive phone call.”

Kelly researched employers using sites like MarksGuide.com and LinkedIn.com.

How many calls did Kelly make? “I’m not sure, but my September phone bill was for 3500 minutes,” adding that he used downtime while driving to make as many calls as possible.

Can you make 3500 minutes of phone calls today? No.

This week? Not likely.

But can you spend 35 minutes a day on the phone for 30 days? That’s 3500 minutes. And that’s very doable.

So, are you willing to make 35 minutes of phone calls today, to build relationships with people who can help you get hired? The answer should be yes.

Second, Kelly went to networking events. “The job I landed was the result of attending a mixer sponsored by a local industry association. I met someone who was looking for the exact background I have. I called him 9 a.m. the next day and set up an interview. I had an offer sheet 14 days later,” he says.

How did Kelly connect with this person? “I talked to as many people as possible. One person I spoke to told me he had just met someone looking for someone like me, and that man pointed me to my current employer,” he says.

To sum up, Kelly worked very hard – but for less than two months – to build relationships, by phone and in person, until meeting the manager who hired him.

2) Use Social Media Smartly

When Jamie Favreau, from Warren, Mich., updated her Facebook profile in mid-December 2008, she didn’t know how quickly it would lead to a new position.

“I changed my status on Facebook to ‘Looking to volunteer for a new non-profit,’” she says. That evening, a friend who saw her new status brought Favreau’s name up to a hiring manager, who later called to interview her.

Favreau’s job search was simple, and can be boiled down to three key actions …

First, she built her network before she needed it.

The woman who discovered her status change had to first be in her circle of friends on Facebook. So Favreau was smart to build a network of connections on Facebook, in addition to her network on LinkedIn and Twitter.

How’s your network? Could it be bigger and better?

If so, try adding one person per day for one month. That’s 30 new connections – 60 more eyeballs to spot employment opportunities for you.

Second, Favreau used the right keywords, putting the phrase “social media” in the Info section of her Facebook profile.

Keywords are simply the words people search for online. If the phrases describing your ideal job aren’t in your online profiles, employers are less likely to find you.

Tip: Make a master list of keywords found in job postings that appeal to you. Then, include all relevant keywords in your profile on Facebook, ZoomInfo.com, and other sites.

Third, Favreau started working before she was hired.

After researching the needs of her prospective employer, Favreau did something smart. “I created a social network plan and I brought that to the interview.”

What did the hiring mangers think of her bringing a sample of work she hadn’t yet been hired to produce? “Their reaction was, ‘Oh, you know what you’re doing,’ and it was well-received,” says Favreau, who got the internship shortly thereafter.

Both of these successful job searches required thinking, research and diligent effort, something anyone can emulate.

Why not you, starting today?

Kevin Donlin is creator of TheSimpleJobSearch.com. Since 1996, he has provided job-search help to more than 11,000 people. Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, CBS Radio and others. His free report, The Simple Job Search Manifesto, is found at http://www.TheSimpleJobSearch.com.